


Footwork

by underwaternature



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Introspection, Pining, lil bit yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26577541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underwaternature/pseuds/underwaternature
Summary: Clumsy as they were, Richter and Lucina still find some fun during an impromptu dance lesson.
Relationships: Richter Belmont/Lucina (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Footwork

Richter winced as he felt his foot step on Lucina’s, his boot pressing a bit too hard on hers.

“Shit,” he softly cursed. He was too aware of how she winced as well, though she didn’t voice her discomfort in any form. “Sorry, Luce. Still haven’t gotten the hang of this, I guess.”

“It’s all right,” she was quick to say, as if already saying this at least half a dozen times by now, and she had. “I messed up too when I first started learning, Richter. We all make mistakes.”

“Still, I feel kinda bad…”

A part of him was envious of the fact that dancing seemed to come naturally to Lucina, but he supposed that it was part of being raised as royalty, swordsman or not. This mini lesson of theirs right now was a spur of a moment thing—he mentioned he couldn’t dance, she got an idea, and now here they were.

His apparent two left feet made for a slightly embarrassing time on Richter’s part, however. But Lucina didn’t seem to mind.

She chuckled and smiled at his sheepishness. “Well, you’re learning, aren’t you?” she pointed out. “At the very least you know the steps instead of fumbling around just thirty minutes earlier.”

Richter turned his head away, his face warming. “Yeah, don’t… please don’t mention that.” He heard Lucina laugh, and a small grin tugged at his mouth. At least she was getting some enjoyment out of this.

Their hands were clasped together, his other tentatively on her waist and hers on his shoulder, as they slowly went through the steps of a waltz. Richter still didn’t fully get it, but Lucina was a patient teacher, quietly correcting him on his mistakes and mumbling out a tempo as they performed. Though alone, they didn’t travel much around the room, simply keeping to a small space where they went through the basic steps. 

Being taller than her, Richter’s gaze was settled mostly at the top of Lucina’s head. He was… thinking, simply, even while he did his best to keep her instructions and pointers in mind. With no music playing and only Lucina’s voice keeping them in sync, he found his thoughts wandering, a quiet, contemplative look on his face.

_She was pretty._

It was far from a revelation. Richter had known for a while, actually. Sometimes he’d spot her passing through the halls, or hear her voice as she talked with someone else. He’d smile a little, maybe a little wave, but there was always some sort of greeting, however silent or subtle it was.

He liked it.

Yet, there was a part of him that wanted… more. Maybe. He wasn't sure exactly. Richter had only begun to notice recently, but there were times when he caught his gaze lingering on her for a second longer. His mind would replay the sound of her laughter again and again. He would catch the small mannerisms she’d do—tighten her hold on her sword to hold herself back when angered, or how she’d perk up and stand straighter whenever she was attentive.

Those little details of Lucina’s—Richter liked those too.

And because of that, he didn’t know when he started liking the cute smile on her face either.

“...Hey, are you still there?”

Richter returned back to reality once again, lowering his eyes to meet Lucina’s curious ones. It seemed that they had stopped practicing at some point, certainly because of him. He awkwardly lowered his arms, saying, “Uh, yeah! I am! Uh...” Knowing that he had been caught being lost in his thoughts this time, he put on a sheepish look, though apologetic all the same.

Lucina sighed, but a shake of her head told him that he was forgiven. “You seem to have a lot on your mind, Richter,” she said, a hint of concern in her tone. “Is something bothering you?” Even if it ended up to be something silly, she was always worried about her friends if she noticed something wrong; it was a part of her that Richter appreciated greatly.

Still. 

“No, it’s fine,” he was quick to assure her, putting on a small grin once again. “Don’t worry about it.”

She seemed unconvinced, but, to his relief, dropped it. Inwardly, Richter sighed. He wasn’t sure how he’d ever go about admitting aloud that he liked his best friend here in this tournament, much less say it to her face right there and then.

The next hour or so passed on by, the same as ever, and Richter continued to spend time in his head while his legs did the work following the dance. It was only when Lucina broke away did Richter look up at the nearby clock. Almost eight. Did time really go by that fast?

“I feel like this is a good stopping place or today,” Lucina said, and tilted her head up to meet his gaze and smiled. “You learn pretty quickly, Richter. While I doubt the mansion will ever have ballroom dances in the near future, you should be fine if you ever happened to be dragged into one.”

“That’s only because I had a good teacher,” Richter replied, chuckling. “Thanks again, Luce. I owe you one.”

“It’s not such a big deal,” she laughed. “Really, I’m just glad to have helped.”

Though the two had stopped dancing, their hands were still clasped together, their fingers loosely gripping the other but staying put all the same. The realization startled Richter, and Lucina must’ve realized too. They were quick to untangle themselves, and he tried not to think about how his hand felt a bit colder now.

For a minute, they didn’t say much. Richter spared a glance at his friend, but couldn’t figure out her expression. Something in him worried, but what for, he couldn’t put into words. What was she thinking about? He hoped he didn’t overstep his boundaries.

Finally, she was the one who broke the air. “I think we should, um, head down for dinner?” Lucina suggested, but her voice was quieter than before. She was nervous, maybe, but Richter didn’t have a clue why.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out either.

Nonetheless, she was expecting an answer from him and he nodded. “Yeah, sure,” he told her simply. He couldn’t hold her gaze for long before breaking away. “Let’s get there before it gets too crowded.”

Lucina nodded back. She was the one who went ahead, the first one to take the step forward and the first to reach the door. Richter followed closely behind, but his eyes still watched her back and the blue hair on her head.

He wasn’t sure if he would ever tell her. But, for right now, he’ll still appreciate their time together as friends.

Maybe someday.

And so, he followed.

**Author's Note:**

> shot out this one a short while back and decided i wanted to publish it  
> rarepair brain go brrr


End file.
